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Media Release: International Women’s Day 2021

Alberta Council of Women's Shelters Main Logo

Media Release 

March 8, 2021 

International Women’s Day—Women’s Shelter Staff Shouldering Essential Work Throughout Pandemic

EDMONTON, ALBERTA— To mark International Women’s Day, March 8, 2021, the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters (ACWS) has unveiled a campaign thighlight the essential work done by shelter staff across the province. The Shelter Superstars campaign recognizes the largely female workforce that hakept domestic violence shelters running throughout the pandemic. 

The ACWS’ weekly #ShelterSuperstars social media posts are bringing visibility to the sector, celebrating excellence and expressing gratitude to these frontline workers for their contributions. 

Women working in shelters are true leaders: innovative, caring and resilient,” said Jan Reimer, Executive Director of ACWS. “They are a testament to women’s leadership and perseverance. They are not often publicly acknowledged for their ongoing labour and dedication in responding to and preventing domestic abuse.  

As part of the Shelter Superstars campaign, ACWS has collected stories of what a “typical day” looks like for a domestic violence shelter worker. These snapshots reveal the depth of shelter staff’s skill, dedication, and compassion for the women, children, and seniors they serve. Excerpts from their answers include: 

“Amber’s 8 or 10-hour shifts often consist of answering calls on our crisis line and giving support, providing lay counselling to shelter clients, assisting with meal preparation, sanitizing the building, preparing bedrooms for new intakes, helping clients with phone calls and appointments, and at all times maintaining the safety and security of the building.”  “Katrina manages the emergency and second-stage shelters, which includes overseeing a crisis program, a child support program, a daycare, outreach services, and long-term programming.  With great compassion and leadership, she helps her team navigate the unchartered waters of delivering essential services during a global pandemic.” 
“A typical day for Tara doesn’t exist because no day is the same. From doing donor stewardship, to overseeing in-kind donations, to picking up donations, Tara represents what it means to be behind the scenes. Every aspect of her work impacts the success of shelter residents’ journey to healing and helps to empower them to regain their strength and resilience.”  Sumaiya’s day starts with meetings with residential clients, in-person at the office, updating their cases with services needed or resources to be provided. She has been a frontline worker in COVID-19, providing personalized support to the residents. The majority of our discharged clients follow up and specifically mention Sumaiya as the best support they encountered during their stay. 
When Rinnah comes in in the morning she heads back to the kitchen to assist moms with getting their children breakfast. She provides childcare for moms who have appointments and during in-house groups. She is usually found entertaining the children with activities she has planned in her very limited down time. Even when she is not formally providing childcare, Rinnah can usually be found with the children. Making slime at the kitchen table, crafts, and playing outside are activities she often gets requests for.  The entire staff here are Superstars to our organization for their dedication, commitment, heart and hard work they do every day to make sure our clients’ needs are met. We just opened our doors in May, in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. They have accepted the many changes with patience and willingness and with a smile on their faces. They are what makes this house a home for our clients. 
Kim tackles whatever the day presents and that often means wearing different hats on different days. Lately, she’s been wearing a construction hat but other days she’s a housekeeper, emotional support and of course, the Shelter and Project Manager.  Shelter Superstars will continue to be highlighted weekly—watch for more throughout the month of March and beyond. 

 

You can find the Shelter Superstars campaign on ACWS’ social media under the hashtag #ShelterSuperstars and you can view the content on the ACWS websitehttps://acws.ca/shelter-superstars/ 

Women’s shelters and other essential services have remained open since the pandemic began, while many Albertans were asked to stay safe in their homes. On this International Women’s Day, the ACWS is calling on the public to support essential workers in the domestic violence sector. Alberta faces an ongoing crisis in domestic violence and abuse. We can all help to end it by supporting those who do the essential work of assisting women in their hour of need—a majority of whom are women themselves.  

Some ideas for people wanting to help: 

Two of the shelter superstars are available for interviews by request: Carlee Marchbank, Shelter Team Lead at Rowan House (High River), and Rinnah Chiwele, Child Support Worker at Hope Haven (Lac LaBiche). 

Background: The ACWS is a registered charity that supports 41 members operating over 50 shelters across the province for women, children, and seniors facing domestic abuse. ACWS serves shelters through corporate and community change; collective data and research; and frontline education and training to end domestic violence. 

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Media Contact:
Olivia Street, Coordinator of Communications and Social Advocacy
(780) 566-3091   Olivia.Street@acws.ca